Susan Wyndham - Life in His Hands: The True Story of a Neurosurgeon and a Pianist

Life in His Hands - The True Story of a Neurosurgeon and a Pianist (2008) Wyndham, Susan

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A true story of a neurosurgeon and a pianist.

In 2001 the brilliant young concert pianist Aaron McMillan was diagnosed with a rare type of brain tumour and given six weeks to live.

He was just 24 years old.

He underwent 12 hours of emergency surgery - days later he was back at the piano, preparing to perform.

Years later, he was still performing.

His doctor was Charlie Teo, one of Australia's most celebrated and controversial neurosurgeons.

Charlie's specialty is inoperable brain tumours and his radical techniques have earned him praise around the world.

But in his own country he is regarded by some as reckless and even dangerous.

Aaron McMillan presented Charlie with his most challenging case yet.

In return, Charlie Teo gave Aaron hope.

Life In His Hands is the remarkable true story of a medical maverick and an artist who refused to be daunted by death.

It is a book full of heartache and joy and scientific marvels, written by a journalist who found that with some stories, staying on the sidelines is the hardest thing to do.

In her career as a journalist, Susan Wyndham has been editor of Good Weekend magazine, New York correspondent for The Australian newspaper, a deputy editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and a senior writer on books and culture. She is currently literary editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and lives in Sydney with her husband.

Life In His Hands is a wonderful and well-paced book.

THE SUN-HERALD

This is a beautifully written, emotional, almost novelistic account

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

The book is full of such novelistic character details, but Wyndham has also done her research on the technical side, painstakingly Her grasp of procedural detail is the equal of the neurosurgical details in Ian McEwans Saturday, the best outsider job Ive read.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

This is a brave and serious [book] and must have cost Wyndham much to write.

AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW

Its an inspiring, thoughtful tale Wyndhams superb narration never strikes a wrong note.

THE ADELAIDE ADVERTISER

This engaging and thoughtful work tells of two extraordinary Australian characters.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Here is that rare thing, a true story that couldnt be very much improved by any fictional tweaking A terrific book.

THE CANBERRA TIMES

Life In His Hands

The true story of a Neurosurgeon and a Pianist

SUSAN WYNDHAM

First published 2008 in Picador by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
This Picador edition published 2009 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
1 Market Street, Sydney

Copyright Susan Wyndham 2008

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Wyndham, Susan.
Life in his hands/ Susan Wyndham.
Sydney: Pan Macmillan, 2008.

9780330424837 (pbk.)

Teo, Charles.
Neurosurgeons Australia Biography.

617.48092

Every endeavour has been made to contact copyright holders to obtain the necessary permission for use of copyright material in this book. Any person who may have been inadvertently overlooked should contact the publisher.

Typeset in 12.5/16 pt Granjon by Midland Typesetters, Australia
Printed in Australia by McPhersons Printing Group

Papers used by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

These electronic editions published in 2008 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney 2000

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

Life In His Hands

Susan Wyndham

Adobe eReader format: 978-1-74198-155-1
EPUB format: 978-1-74198-156-8
Online format:978-1-74198-158-2

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C ONTENTS

P ROLOGUE

C harlie Teo could not find his lucky socks, and without them he couldnt operate. In the chill of the morning he had already paddled his kayak on Sydney Harbour. Nothing calmed his mind and steadied his muscles like the rhythm of slicing into cold, hard water. He had eaten a bowl of muesli; any more food and the blood would rush from his head to his stomach. He prepared for surgery as if he were a sports man: get the endorphins running, be alert and stay strong.

Charlie Teo had buckets of confidence. He had strong, honey-skinned fingers that could hover over an open brain for hours, cutting and burning without a hint of tremor. His lean figure could be mistaken for flimsy but his calves and forearms bulged and his slight stoop came from the tension of taut muscles. He could stand in the operating theatre for five, ten, twenty hours at a stretch, one foot in its leather clog resting on the other, the only cost a few collapsed veins on his legs.

The house hummed with chatter as Charlies wife herded their four small daughters into the day. He went upstairs to hunt through his sock drawer. Then he would sit down, tune out the voices from below and breathe deeply. Just a few minutes solitude: his way of meditating before revving up his motorbike and heading for the operating theatre.

But first he had to find his socks.

Thursday 16 August 2001 was a day he would rather turn his back on. He only had one patient booked for surgery, a young concert pianist, but it would be a long operation, possibly his most difficult. Whatever he might achieve in the coming hours, he didnt expect the pianist ever to play another pure note.